Romania Hopes to Reap Windfall From Football Final

Around 30,000 football fans, mainly from Spain, are expected to travel to Romania to attend the UEFA Europa League on Wednesday in Bucharest’s new Arena Nationala stadium.

The final is an all-Spanish affair, pitting Athletic Bilbao against Atletico Madrid.

Romanian officials expect the match to boost local businesses, with fans spending money on travel, accommodation, gifts, restaurants and bars.

“We estimate that Spanish fans will spend nearly 20 million euro during their stay, including the money spent on traveling to Romania,” Mircea Sandu, the president of Romania’s Football Federation, FRF, said.

The mayor of Bucharest, Sorin Oprescu, on Sunday asked the Education Ministry to cancel classes on 9 May as the municipality wants to avoid traffic jams in the city centre.

The authorities have also set up a special task force to handle the final, with over 5,000 policemen, firefighter and security forces on the streets for the event.

Restaurant owners are savouring the prospect of heavy sales of food and drink.

“I wish one of the British teams was playing as their fans are known for their appetite for beer. But even with the Spanish supporters we expect to triple our sales,” one sport bars owner in Bucharest said.

Despite the fact that most Bucharest hotels and restaurants have increased prices in recent days, they are still much lower than averages in Western Europe.

The trophy, a 15-kilogram silver cup on a yellow marble plinth, is already in Bucharest, where it has gone on display in several areas of the city.

It is the first time Bucharest is hosting such an event.

The city was chosen to host the Europa League final on the back of constructing one of Europe’s best new stadiums.

With a capacity of 55,000,  the Arena Nationala is impressive both inside and out, and has received rave reviews from fans and football journalists alike.